The Cardinals did get blown out in 3 games, but they always bounced back the next game and never lost more than 2 in a row. The 09 Jets lost to the Saints by 14 and NE by 17 in the midst of losing 6 out of 7. Those 2 losses are not as bad as the Cardinals 3 EC trips, but they are still big losses and when you add in losing 6 out of 7, the 09 Jets had a worse regular season than the 08 Cardinals.
I'm not sure why I put the Dolphins in that list. I meant the Jets. A win against the Cardinals in 08 isn't a win to crow about, but it is just as good (if not better) as a win against the 09 Jets. Neither were very good regular season teams.
I guess you could refer to the Pats 01 D performance as blowing a 14 point 4th quarter lead, but I would call Brady's O out for only putting up 3 more points than what the D had at that point. The Rams were averaging 37 PPG in the playoffs and the D held them to 17 the whole game and put up 7 points for the O. It only took 13 points from the O to beat the Rams. The question isn't about who gets credit. I already said Brady deserves credit for putting them in range. The question is, who deserves more credit? Putting a kicker in a situation where he has to make a 45 yard FG in those conditions, is not great. Vinatieri made a kick that most kickers would not have been able to make. A 7 and 13 yard pass is all it took from Brady to get them in that range. He also fumbled on that drive, but got bailed out by the tuck rule. He put up 0 points in the AFCC game while the D and ST scored 14 points (while holding the Steelers to 17)
The D and special teams are the main reason why the Pats won the Super Bowl that year.
So, in 08 they faced 3 playoff bound teams. 1 team made the NFCC game, the other made it to the divisional round and the 3rd got blown out in the WC round.
In 02, they faced 3 playoff bound teams as well. 1 team made it to the AFCC game, the other got beat in the WC round, and the 3rd got blown out in the WC round.
The 08 teams advanced further than the 02 teams. :up:
That what the forum is supposed to be about to me. It is all in fun. We would agree more if you were right more often.